Open Letter
by Contrariwise
Summary: Bella finds a letter under her desk. Then things started happening... things that would eventually lead her to him. ExB
1. Chapter 1

This is supposed to be on Edward's POV, but it turned out not to be. Just don't ask what happened.

I don't know what's wrong with me… First a blog fic now a letter fic. And this is, as of now in my mind, a fic-let, relatively (_Caught in the Act_'s pretty… long, don't you all think?). I _do. _And this is… different.

_Standard disclaimer applies._

* * *

Prologue

**Bella's POV**

I craned my neck and tilted my head towards the huge bulletin board in front of me, fluttering my lids to be able to see properly. I had to narrow my eyes harder to find what I was supposed to be looking for. I stood on my toes, leaning against the board for support, shaking my head from time to time due to the ridiculous and messy and colorful scrawls in front of me.

I wasn't supposed to be there in the first place.

Teacher told me it's bad to break the rules; she told us _not_ to wander, even though classes were over.

We were supposed to stay in our classroom—myself included—where I would play with a few of my friends, see to it that I do _not _eat clay, and wait for my Mom to arrive and to take me home.

_Bad, bad_ _Bella_. I can almost imagine my teacher saying that.

But it's fine. I _had_ to know.

My breath hitched as I found what I was looking for. I staggered as I spotted it, being momentarily startled. I fought the urge to smack my head.

How can I possibly forget how neat and how legible and how beautiful his handwriting can be? It was one of those things that reminded me how amazing and great he was. He's _way _beyond kindergarten stuff. He's _cool_. Now that I've found it, it stood out amiably amongst the sea of posters our class made.

I giggled uncontrollably before I looked up again. I need to know what he wrote on yesterday's activity.

I raised my brows, not being able to contain my wonder.

_When I grow up, I want to be a doctor._

_I want to be a doctor like my father._

_I want to be a doctor to save lives. _

Whoa. A doctor? I met his father once. He sure looks better in his neat, pure white coat compared to my Dad in his typical, navy blue, police uniform. It didn't make him look scary and all, unlike Dad. Now _I _want to be a doctor too.

I grinned as I skipped away, humming to myself as I made my way back to my classroom where I will wait for Mom's arrival, where she will take me to my favorite diner to meet Dad, then I will eat my favorite cheese burger and everything will be fine. Then I'll them I want to become a doctor.

Hmm. Life's good.

* * *

_When I grow up, I want to be his._

* * *

I didn't know what happened.

I didn't know what_ the hell_ happened.

I didn't know what _the fuck _happened.

I used to believe life's perfect, and that it will remain to be for eternity.

Then Mom left.

Then Dad stopped talking to me altogether.

Then _I_ stopped talking to anyone altogether.

I went to grade school, but I didn't make friends.

I studied hard, _so hard_, everyone began dubbing me as the girl who knows it all. A geek. An outcast.

I tried to make friends after some time but no one wanted to.

I learned to curse when I reached fifth grade.

Even _he_ changed.

He used to lend me his crayons and teach me to write legibly but then he began hanging out with other people. He made lots of friends, lots of _girl_ friends. He became _cooler_ and everyone liked him. Then girls began having massive crushes on him. He had his first date on my used-to-be favorite diner with some cheerleader with nice hair. She's a year older than us. Then they broke up a week later. Then he had a new girlfriend the next day. Then they broke up a week later again.

We reached high school and that's how things came to be.

I studied, watched him afar, tried talking to Charlie, and hanged out in my used-to-be favorite diner to see if he would be dating a new girl after a week had passed.

He didn't waver.

One week. _Only_ a week. I once wondered how he never really ran out of girls to be with.

I frowned. What happened? This wasn't the life I wanted. I didn't want to be an outcast. I didn't want to be sneered upon after answering a teacher's question correctly. I didn't want to be bullied by Jessica and Lauren. I didn't want to treat Charlie like he doesn't exist even if he insisted, _proved_ even, he really _does_. I want to call Renée and tell her I missed her like crazy. I want to tell Charlie that I will never leave him. I want people to treat me properly, nicely, so I wouldn't feel bad.

I winced when I stumbled towards my seat. _Great._ I heard Eric snicker behind me while Lauren feigned interest to her new nails. I wasn't worth _her_ time. That's just… me.

I spread my books on my table, knowing that no one would ever dare sit beside me. They will rather drop out of this class that to sit beside me.

_Hey_, I mumbled inwardly. _I'm good at Biology. Hell. I'm good at _everything_. I can be a pretty decent lab partner. I'm pretty sure they believe in 'new school year, new things'. I can't possibly be the same weirdo they think I was a year before… and a year before that. And also a year before _that_. _

But as I saw the way the room was filled without my seat being _one_, I decided not to get my hopes up.

No one would sit beside me.

Because I am Isabella Swan…

They repulse me... If not, they probably wouldn't even know that I had existed for the past three years of their high school life.

* * *

_When I grow up I want to be his…_

_And to become a doctor too._

* * *

I straightened on my seat when Mr. Banner entered. I felt so excited for this class. I like Advance Biology. I like Biology in general. I read our textbook during our summer break. It was amazing it got me all keyed up. I would want to take Biology in college, as my pre-med course. I even began reading college-level stuffs. I was hooked.

But then, Mr. Banner, instead of lecturing on the first day, decided to discuss our syllabus. I had his syllabus _memorized_ since I was a sophomore.

Hence I got _so_ bored. I bit the cap of my pen and began doodling on my notebook.

Thirty more minutes.

It gave me time to think about myself. I was torn. Of course I would want to get into Ivy League colleges—I can take chances on a few scholarships they would be offering because there was no way in hell I would be able to afford any of them, _if ever_. Besides, being a Biology major in Harvard and Princeton's everyone's dream. Well, maybe not everyone… But it's _my _dream. I had been working exceptionally hard since I stepped in high school for _that_.

But then again, there's this thing about Charlie. I didn't want to leave him, even though he acted like I wasn't there, living with him, since Renée left. He just didn't _talk_ to me. But that didn't stop me from proving to him that I was different, different from Renée. I will never leave him. He's my Dad and I will prove that to him. I never expected such feat to be easy, but I never expected that it would be _this_ hard either. It's been eleven years. He still treated me like… well, he never really treated me like I was _anything_ at all. I was no one to him.

But I couldn't leave him. I hated to know that he's right.

I was snapped out of my reverie when Mr. Banner turned to the second page of our syllabus.

_God, we're still on the second page after thirty minutes? There's like, five _more_ pages_, I groaned mentally.

I sighed and turned to my table, to its lower left corner, the corner closest to me. I drew a horizon line _on_ it.

_So much for vandalism. _

I drummed my fingers before I took a glimpse of Mr. Banner, who's still discussing the hell out of our syllabus.

Okay.

I began scrawling _on_ my lab table, just below the line I drew awhile ago.

_Why can't Banner cut his crap for his own good? My brain cells are dying_, I wrote.

I marveled at my handiwork.

Then the bell rang.


	2. Chapter 2

Here we go again.

I stared dumbly at Jessica who was crying her eyes out beside my locker.

Lauren was _trying _to soothe her.

"Get over it, Jess. Every girl goes through this," Lauren reminded her using her awful nasal voice.

Every girl except me. I crinkled my nose.

Jessica sniffed exaggeratedly. "I thought what we had was different. I thought I can make him rethink his ways. I thought we were more that _this_."

Lauren rolled her eyes heavenward—without letting Jessica see that, of course. She was trying to make her feel better remember?

"I know, Jess. I've been with him _first_, right?"

Or not.

I raised my brow, recognizing the smugness on Lauren's voice. I knew Lauren dated _him _during our junior years. She was head over heels to him since, well, since I _was_ and that's like, thirteen years ago.

I was five. I was on kindergarten. And he was so cool riding his bike.

Lauren flaunted their relationship like there's no tomorrow. She had been waiting far too long for her chance. But like any other of his relationships, his and Lauren's ended seven days later. She looked like hell the next day.

Now it's Jessica's turn. I knew how _much _Jessica liked him for every girl _did_, but she's far more discreet on her feelings for him. And she's far too scared of Lauren to express them. Hmm. Scratch that. Lauren's far too egotistical and a control freak to give Jessica her chance on him. After their break up, Lauren began talking shit about Edward, but I knew better that she was only doing so to dishearten Jessica, and the rest of the girls who're still hoping for their own opportunity to snag him. It became an unspoken competition between girls as to who'll be able to effectively 'straight him out' and to finally renounce his ways. It was a challenge every girl was willing to take. The funny thing was that they never put much thought on _failing _on their self-imposed endeavor. The Break Up never failed to catch them off guard.

I giggled.

Just then, Lauren and Jessica turned to me, only to recoil upon recognizing me. Their expressions mirrored disgust. Well, the feeling's mutual.

"What do you want?" Lauren asked. I can see on her face that she was regretting asking me while she was actually _doing_ it. No one talked to me. Her face then distorted hideously.

I sighed. "Can you move over? I need to get a few things in my locker."

The two immediately scampered away, not wanting to be caught _in the same hall_ with me.

Heh. I popped my lock open and began rummaging my locker for my books. Honestly, I felt bad for Jessica. And for Lauren. And for the rest of his _ex-_girlfriends. I may love the guy since I was on a sandbox but really, they didn't deserve to be treated that way.

On second thought, maybe they do. They knew what type of person he was and how cruel their relationship _will_ turn to but they still went for it.

That's why I've resorted to just watching him from afar. That's far better that having him only to lose him after a week. I knew I stopped stalking him last year and tried so hard not to steal his schedule (not from him, but from someone else) but that didn't really change anything. I still hang out in the diner where he always brought his new girl every week. I then learned to suppress the resentment of seeing another girl in his arms as time passed. I can placate my frustration by keeping in mind that _that_ wouldn't end well… for the girl, that is.

Then I'll feel bad for her, whoever she was.

I huffed and slammed my locker shut. The bell rang and I skipped towards Biology, my books tucked under my arm. Mr. Banner will be, _should be_, starting the formal discussion today and I was _stoked_. I read and reread the chapter he'll be discussing today last night. I grinned, excited, before I tripped.

I bit my lip as I fell right on my face, groaning.

"Hey, are you alright?"

I looked up. I knew that voice.

"Um, yes," I replied, blushing.

"Here are your books. Be careful next time."

I nodded meekly before I turned to her.

"Thanks… Alice."

She smiled, exposing her pearly white teeth, before she pranced towards her class.

I stood up, dusting my pants, before I gave her another glance. She turned right to a corridor and disappeared after a few seconds. God, she's just so nice. She's the only one who doesn't cringe or sneer or _leave_ immediately when I am within the vicinity. She talked to me when she _should_ and she nods to my direction when she catches my eye. She's just like that. She's the only one I can actually associate myself to since she's the only one who acted like I wasn't some person with leprosy. And she's so cool she never let anyone look down on her.

But I can't be friends with her. Not even in my dreams. She's so high and I'm _just_ Bella.

Besides, she's a Cullen. She's _his_ adoptive sister. She's just… untouchable, unreachable.

I shook my head and ran to class. I beat Mr. Banner as I reached our classroom on time. I walked towards my seat and opened my book. I heard a low grumble beside me and saw Lauren glaring openly at me. Wow. It seemed like I _could be_ worth her time. But I chose not to so I ignored her. I turned back to my book, taking in the highlights on its paragraphs and the notes on its margin. I can't get anymore excited.

I pushed the book away from me to reach my pen from my pocket when something caught my eye.

I tilted my head sideways, brows furrowed.

I recognized the nasty vandal I pulled yesterday, the one that says '_why can't Banner cut his crap for his own good? My brain cells are dying',_ but what really caught my attention was an arrow I _knew_ I didn't draw yesterday. Besides, it's on black ink. I used blue. I always use blue. _That _arrow was _so _not my working. Besides, I was absolutely positive it wasn't there the last time.

Just then Mr. Banner walked in. I can tell from the smile on his face that we will be starting our formal lessons today.

But then I couldn't help but to look down, back on my table.

The arrow was pointing to the left. It might be pointing to the edge of the table or out to the window but I didn't care. I _shouldn't_ because the class's about to start.

I took a deep breath, trying to focus and to be attentive. And I did. I was able to answer all of Mr. Banner's questions and while my classmates rolled their eyes in boredom upon my excessive participation, I wasn't fussed. I _so _like Biology. They should know that by now. We were in the middle of the discussion (well, it was a review of what we took in Biology last year since this is advance stuff. But it's _still_ Biology!) when my hand caught something under the table.

It better _not_ be gum. That's just gross.

I frowned, retracting my hand. I saw that arrow sign again before I finally looked down. Well, now that I took time to think about it, the arrow's actually pointing _under _the desk, where an unsuspecting piece of paper was stuck. I pulled the paper, thanking the heavens that it wasn't held by gum and opened it.

I looked up and realized I missed a question. _Damn it_. Even Lauren shot her ridiculously thick brow up and stared pointedly towards my direction. I never let a question go to waste. But I just did. Mr. Banner was already writing the answer of his question on the board.

I huffed and opened the folded paper. My mouth popped open.

—_Banner wasn't even discussing _anything_, thank god for that. Just the freaking syllabus. But yeah, it's still killing me. He can make out with a flatworm and I'd still be _bored.

I choke back a giggle. Eric thought I'd gone crazy and scooted his chair away from me. I guess I wasn't the only one bored yesterday. Here's another soul that _was_… someone who writes so legibly I may add. I shook my head, ignored everyone else as I usually do and spread the paper I then noticed was torn from a spiral notebook. I jotted down my reply.

_That's just the point. I wanted him to discuss _anything_ other than the syllabus—which is _just _what he did yesterday. Hah! I would _love _to see him make out with a flatworm. That's better than setting his hair, or his Golden Onion, on fire. _

I folded the paper and tucked it right back under the table.

Just then the bell rang. I frowned. Goodbye Biology. Hello, Literature.

I took one look back on my desk as Mr. Banner cleared the board for the next class. The students from the next class began filling in so I walked towards the door, books on my hand. Mr. Banner patted my back for answering _most_ of his questions and I just nodded to him. He knew how much I love Biology and how I plan to take it as a pre-med course—it's just a given that I'll be putting more effort on this subject that anything else. I was on my way out when I collided onto something hard and big that I nearly fell flat on the floor.

_Nearly_, since someone yanked my arm to prevent my fall.

"Are you okay?"

Oh. My. God. My heart skipped at the sound of his velvety voice.

I looked up, face burning, before I nodded and dashed out. I didn't stop running until I reached my next classroom along the Literature hallway.

I grinned.

So _he_'s on Mr. Banner's _other_ class, the one after mine.

Nice.


	3. Chapter 3

—_Hmm. Setting his Golden Onion on fire is definitely a better idea. I'd pay to see _that_. I swear I caught him talking to that thing once. Someone stole it from him last year and he _almost _had a heart attack. I would want a repeat of that—at least it would shut his mouth up, _and_ would stop him from _dancing_ in front of the class. Biology is just _plain_ boring. Why would I be writing this if that wasn't the case? I'm sure the same applies to you._

—_P.S. What did you have for number 15 for his take-home quiz? _

I drummed my fingers, fighting off a smirk as I watched Mr. Banner talk animatedly up in front. I shook my head, disbelieving. Now that I'd thought about it, Mr. Banner _kind of_ gets a little bit carried away in his discussion.

I looked back down on the note in my hand and grinned.

_Well, let me see. Yep, I heard about that incident, when his Golden Onion 'mysteriously' disappeared. I admit that it's sort of entertaining—but we missed two discussion classes because of that so I wasn't quite happy about it. You should know by now that I, contrary to what you deduced, like Biology. I am _in love _with Biology. I'm planning to take it as a pre-med course—but it's not like _anyone _cares about that. You shouldn't too. But since you're _just_ bored I knew you'll rather take that than listen to whatever Banner's talking about. If I hadn't read the chapter he's discussing I probably would take time to listen but since I already did… Yeah, yeah, I'm just as boring as him. Boohoo. _

_P.S. What makes you think that I would share my answers to someone who gets easily bored? I bet you'll get tired of _this_ after some time. Huh. _Fine_. I got Taxonomy. _

I put my pen down and sat straight. I missed two questions this time. But I think I can live with that. I can easily catch up in participation, and it's not like there were other students participating in the discussion.

Now that I diverted my attention from Mr. Banner—a first, Advance Biology or not. I _always_ listen. How can I get A's if I wasn't?—I noticed how uninterested and distracted and just plain _bored_ my classmates were. Maybe I really was the only one enjoying this. Suddenly, it made sense that someone like this unknown soul would still be putting up a written conversation with me until now. I could be boring but I guess not _that_ much, I thought inwardly, eying Mr. Banner as he skipped from corner to corner.

Lauren was texting like mad behind her book. Eric was sleeping, his mouth open. Rosalie was raking her hair with her hand, her eyes on me.

Whoa. I blinked a couple of times.

Goodness, Rosalie's staring. At me.

I titled my head, confused, before she turned to the other side.

That was weird.

I stole a swift glance on her again. Yes. Rosalie Hale just looked at me. She's the only chick who had the guts to hang out with the Cullens, along with her twin brother, Jasper. The Cullens were regarded so high in this small town of ours because of their looks, money and popularity. Most of the people ended up drooling over their expensive cars and their designer clothes rather than to actually _talk _to them.

People like me. So why's she staring at me? Even I couldn't believe my own words.

I cupped my cheek and jotted down some notes, deciding to just ignore the happening, all the while thinking about the person I've written to twice now. Yes. I had to distract myself. What's more fun than having someone to talk to without them knowing who you really are and without you knowing them in return?

It was then that I realized that _that_ would be the only way I could ever get acquainted to anyone in this school for that matter.

Of course. What did I expect? I was Bella Swan. No one talks to me. And I knew that the moment my identity was revealed to my unnamed pen mate, he or she would wish they've put up with Mr. Banner when they had the chance.

I frowned.

Just then, the bell rang.

Instead of lingering on my chair like I usually do to ask Mr. Banner a few questions I've made from last night's reading, I immediately stood up. I wouldn't want to wait until the next class comes in. I wouldn't want to know who had my table, in the same way that he or she would after finding out it's just… me.

I was the first to reach the door—my classmates were in their sluggish mood as it appeared that I was the only one who had already stood up and made my way out. I threw the class a bored glance before I prepared myself to dash to my next class, when I collided against someone else… _again_.

Déjà vu struck me but this time a strong arm snaked around my waist to break my fall.

"Oops. Are you okay?"

You've got to be shitting me.

I resisted hyperventilating right then and looked up. Surely that wasn't happening…

For one, _he_'s a bit early today.

I bit my lip. "Yes."

My first ever words in front of _him_! Hooray.

I was vaguely aware that the whole class froze and watched the event unfolding before their eyes. At least lunch's over; they would've lost their appetite upon witnessing a discourse between the school's resident hottie and… well, me. Ugh.

He nodded, his hair falling on his eyes and let go of me. I stood there, staring at him, dumbstruck. It was then that I noticed that he wasn't looking _at _me. He's busy sweeping a determined gaze class around the class, like he's looking for someone else.

I sighed. See? Everyone, including _him_, chose to ignore me. It wasn't news.

I rolled my eyes and walked past him without even a second glance.

* * *

_I hope you would see me, not see _through _me. _

* * *

I hate him. I hate him. I hate him.

Yes, I hate him.

"Here's your coffee," the waitress announced, her voice dull.

"Thanks," I replied, but she already left.

I furrowed my brows and restarted my mantra. I hate him. I hate him for ignoring me and making me feel like an outcast that I really was. _Fuck_.

I could tell _that _to myself a thousand times but who was I fooling anyway? He may have acted like I didn't exist but it didn't stop me from showing up in my used-to-be favorite diner, drinking my cheap coffee and waiting for him to show up as usual. I was a bit eager to learn who his new girl of the week would be, the one he replaced Jessica with.

As expected, he walked in, his arms draped on some girl's shoulder. Upon closer look, I learned it was Angela.

Whoa. I thought she had Ben? Well I guess she dumped that small guy for _him_. She chose a one-week affair rather than her steady date for a year now. Well, it's not like something like thatdidn't happen at all. Every girl would leave whomever they were seeing just to grab their only chance with _him_. Stories like Angela's were never new to me. I hope she didn't put everything into _this_ for we all know this wouldn't last. And I hope Ben loved her beyond words to be able to see pass through this apparent mistake Angela got herself into.

The best of luck for the both of them.

I downed the contents of my coffee and gathered my books.

I've seen what I came for. There's no point in staying.

With that, I left.


	4. Chapter 4

Yo! I'm updating. Sweet! I'm giving a shout out for iLikeCullen by going on with some details. ;) I'm glad you love this little thing. I do too! A lot! So there…

* * *

I frowned.

I didn't like where this one's going, I inwardly thought as I read the latest reply from my unanimous buddy who found refuge on my momentary lapse of judgment: vandalism. Who knew our little exchange of notes would go _this_ far? Three replies and the dude seemed far from annoyed in my antics. Amused was definitely the better term.

—_Really now? Tell me if I'm right then. So you're the typical nerdy, collar-wearing kind of student? Judging from your reply, you would also normally keep to yourself; not the conversional type either. You're a bit sarcastic, I can tell. And not to forget about the part that you think so low of yourself. You're probably thinking that I wouldn't even respond to this thing we started out because _you _think you wouldn't deserve it. You also think that no one would bother listening to you. Overall, you think you're boring that even someone like _me_ wouldn't take time to write back to you… So did I miss anything? _

I rolled my eyes heavenward.

Stupid, perceptive, mind-reading, bored person.

I resorted to denial, since there's no freaking way my pen mate would be able to figure out easily what kind of person I was by merely using an incredibly small reply I hadn't even put a lot of thought on while writing. He's probably smirking the entire time he's jotting back his reply, feeling smug that he _almost _got me all figured out.

I looked down to check if he's right, since I wasn't really one to look what _exactly _I was wearing. I had to _remind _myself.

So I was wearing my favorite faded jeans, some sneakers, a blue sweater and a white, collared blouse inside.

I huffed. Unknown person got that one right. Was I really that predictable?

Well, he was right about the part that I don't really _talk_. No one wants to listen anyway, I thought sarcastically.

Damn. He's also right about the sarcastic part. It's seriously starting to freak me out.

I bit my lip as I went on with the list.

Did I look down on myself? Check. Did I think that he wouldn't reply back? Check. Did I think no one will listen to me? Check.

Check. Check. Check.

I shivered. That's just pure stalker-ish. If I wouldn't mind my words, this person will surely have me all figured out by next week. I grunted and read the second part of his reply despite my dismay.

—_Yes. You're highly boring. But you still accommodated me—someone you didn't even know. You're quite friendly, you know, and overly sympathetic… in a good way, of course. You weren't rude either. You stand up for people if you think they deserve it. You're not afraid to let your concerns out. The best thing is that you're not afraid for rejection. In fact, you're already expecting it. You're exceedingly generous too. Thanks for the answer you gave me, by the way. So it seems like I know some things about you. Friends?_

Was he serious? He would want to be my friend? And was it possible for someone to be _this_ perceptive? I thought _I _was the only one endowed with such gift?

I smirked. It's time for my reply.

_Well, friendship is too far off, buddy. Besides, you made me sound like I'm emo or something. And I don't know _much _about you. I only know that you're the type that gets easily bored. You're a bit random, and you simply settle to what's offered to you. You're quite perceptive, and you _think_ you have the upper hand in every situation. From the looks of it, you're probably some sort of egotistical, controlling egghead, and not to mention extremely _fast_ GUY, if you know what I mean. I can tell since you took full charge of _this_ conversation that _I _started. Couldn't you at least wait for my prompt to deviate from our topic? _

I gripped my pen and reread what I just wrote, satisfied. There's no way I would allow this _guy_ to go on like this. Only a guy would be _this_ arrogant… or a really twisted girl like Lauren. But it wouldn't be Lauren, that's for sure. The girl's drumming her expensive nails in front of me. He's a guy, I was positive. I grinned triumphantly. So he did get me all figured out, yes, but I was still able to return the favor. Two can play this guessing game.

I then looked up and caught the last part of Mr. Banner's question. Still, I raised my hand and gave the correct answer. He resumed his discussion and I tired to make out what he was explaining, my head reeling. It's not like I haven't read the proposed chapter for that day's lesson four times. I knew it like the back of my hand—like everything that's been discussed about Biology.

I tilted my head after some time, contemplating. With a huff, I added the last part of my reply before I stuck the note back to where it belonged: under my table.

_Fine. You can call me S._

_

* * *

  
_

"Isabella Swan, right?"

I dropped my books, startled. Biology's over and I was about to repeat my mad dash out of the room before students from the next class starts pouring in when _someone_ called my name.

No one _calls_ my name. Ever.

I looked up, suspicious. My already flabbergasted expression grew tenfold upon recognizing the person who called me.

Holy shit.

Rosalie Hale.

She was leaning down on me, her perfect blonde curls cascading her shoulders breathtakingly. I had to blink to make sure that I wasn't imagining the now confirmed fact that she's smiling. It also looked like she's waiting…

Oh.

"Um, Bella," I offered meekly.

Her smile brightened, exposing her white teeth. She was dazzling.

"Hey, Rosalie, by the way," she replied, motioning to herself. Like I didn't know she was. She's the most popular girl in school; who wouldn't know who she was? "Look, I've noticed that you're quite good in Biology. I mean, of course you do. You even left Mr. Banner speechless just now."

I tried to catch anything that would give way her sarcasm on that particular statement but it seemed like she was _genuinely_ telling the truth.

"Well, do you want to be like, my tutor? I totally suck in Biology. But I couldn't fail either. I heard you tutored last year…"

I was completely shocked. I did offer my tutoring services last year but no one signed up. Students wouldn't want to get associated with me in _any way_.

She took my silence as a bad sign.

"Oh, I guess you're busy…" she sighed, her shoulders sagging. "I'm dead," she mumbled.

"Um, no. Er, I mean, yes… Ugh," I paused, willing my mind to think straight. "What I want to say is that it's fine with me. When do you want to start?"

"Really?" she asked, her face bubbling with excitement. "Whenever you're ready, of course."

"Actually, I'm free today. Why don't we do some review, since Mr. Banner would be starting a new lesson tomorrow?"

"Perfect!"

I nodded back.

Rosalie grinned before she pulled out a piece of paper and began scribbling her address. "There you go," she exclaimed as she gave me the note. "Thanks a lot, Bella. See you later!"

"Okay," I mumbled back in a trace.

I still couldn't believe she actually talked to me. Even Lauren was positively gapping at me, wondering why on earth Rosalie talked to me.

I shrugged, remembering that I had to go before I did leave the classroom, but not without spotting Edward and all his glory leaning against a wall adjacent to the laboratory. He looked extremely hot, standing like that there but I had to go, or else I would be late. With that, I walked towards my Literature class, studying Rosalie's note. I knew Rosalie wasn't the sharpest of the students, but she's still quite good, academically speaking. Tutoring her would surely be a piece of cake.

I stopped short when I realized that it wasn't Rosalie's address that's written on the note she gave me.

It was the Cullens'.


End file.
